Mixed Martial Arts MMA and Plastic Surgery

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When most people think about plastic surgery and mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing etc they think of broken noses, facial bone fractures, cauliflower ears, skin abrasions and cuts. In unarmed fighting the skin is torn open when an outside blunt force pushes that skin against the edge of a bone. You see this frequently in boxing matches with skin around the eye socket being torn open. In boxing they put pressure on the tear while the boxer is in the corner to stop the bleeding. Some fighters have a facial bone structure with less edges or flatter surface contour. These fighters are less susceptible to having tears in the skin when struck. For both boxers and MMA fighters these tears are usually sutured by non-plastic surgeons who just suture the outer layer of the skin. After these heal there is a thinner layer of tissue between the skin surface and the edge of the bone. This condition leaves the fighter more susceptible to another tear in the skin when it is struck. The blow could even be an otherwise inconsequential one.

Some of these fighters are now undergoing surgery to rasp or burr down these bone edges. At the same time the deeper layers that separated at the time of the initial injury are repaired and/or the surgeon inserts an acellular dermal matrix (commercially available human skin collagen without skin cells) to increase the tissue between the skin surface and the bone. This so to speak softens the blow.

The question remains whether athletic commissions will allow this or will they consider this performance enhancement comparable to anabolic steroids and ban it.

Aaron Stone MD - Plastic Surgeon Los Angeles
Aaron Stone MD - twitter

Medical Tourism - Going Abroad for Discount Plastic Surgery

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Medical tourism refers to patients traveling far from home for plastic surgery, usually to another country, for discounted services or perceived care that cannot be obtained at home. A 2008 survey by the consulting firm Deloitte, estimated that 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for medical care in 2007 and projected that the number would rise to 1.6 million annually by 2012. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing this. I as well as many of my colleagues here in Los Angeles receive patients from many parts of the world such as China, the middle east, Europe, Latin America etc. Although you can find good doctors and appropriate care all over the world as a prospective patient you have to do your due diligence before committing yourself to plastic surgery anywhere be it India, Thailand or even the United States. Surgeon and facility qualifications outside your home country may not be verifiable. Vacation destinations may not have formal medical accreditation boards to certify physicians or medical facilities. The criteria you use to search for a surgeon should not change just because he/she is in a different country. (see my web page how to choose a plastic surgeon) Above all else do not let the price tag blind you to the quality of care. Devices and products used may not meet U.S. standards. Cosmetic surgery products or devices used in other countries may not have been tested, proven safe and effective, or been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For example, an implant used in the United States must meet standards of safety and effectiveness, a process regulated by the FDA. Other countries may not have similar regulations.

I recently saw a patient who had breast implants placed in Mexico. Although the implant manufacturer made implants that were FDA approved for use in the USA her specific implants were not. They were only legal in Mexico. Breasts implants at a quarter of the price in your home country may sound to good to pass up but if you do not do your due diligence in researching the care it could end up costing you a lot more than surgery at home. It can even cost you your life.